Advertising-sign



E. O. LA ROCHE.

ADVERTISING SIGN. APPLlcAloN FILED JUNEzs, 1921.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN o. LAROCHE, or CLIFTON, ILLINOIS.

l ADVERTISING-SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 1,3, 1921.

Application filed ,June 23, 1921. Serial No. 479,822.

To a-ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWIN O. LA- ROCHE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clifton, in the county of Iroquois and State of Illinois, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Advertising- Sign, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates-to advertising signs, and particularly to signs of that type employing an endless belt or web which passes around drums at opposite ends thereof, one of these drums being driven by an electric or other motor.

The belt is provided with improved means for attaching letters or the like thereto, so that the sign can be changed from time to time by the substitution of different letters.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means whereby the sign can be changed from a moving sign to a still sign.

The endless belt is so arranged that the sign or inscription thereon is exposed successively at opposite sides of the casing, and can be read as it travels, from either direction.

The details of the device will be more fully apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the sign. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section. Fig. 4 is a detail of a portion of the endless belt. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the sign letters.

The frame of the sign consists of two end boxes 6 and 7 between which extends a pair of casings 8 which are channeled or have flanges 9 at their top and bottom edges, the edges of the flanges being turned in as shown at 10 to form a longitudinal space 11 through which the sign can be seen.

The box 6, at one end, contains a vertical drum 12 driven by worm gearing or the like from a motor 13. The box 7 contains another vertical drum 14 supported by a yoke 15, which may be adjusted by a screw 16 to tighten the belt 17 which extends around the drums and lengthwise in front of the casing plates 8, passing through slots at 18 in the inner end walls of the boxes 6 and 'l'.

As shown in Fig. 4, particularly, the belt is made of two parts, a back belt 17a and a narrowerv front belt 171. These may be made of leather or other suitable material, and the front belt is attached at intervals to the back belt by lrivets or other suitable devices indicated at 17C, thereby forming pockets 171 between the rivets.

The interchangeable letters, of which one is indicated at 19, are connected to the belt by means of a hook 2O projecting from the back of each letter and adapted to be hooked into the pockets 17d, whereby the letters can be properly spaced to form the words in the sign, and can be readily detached to substitute a different arrangement. This method of attachment, also, does not interfere with the flexibility of the belt nor prevent it from following closely around the drums 12 and 14.

The frame of the sign may be supported by hanging the same from above, or by means of posts as shown at 21, and may conveniently be made long enough to extend across a sidewalk.

Supported above the sign, by means of supports 22 on the boxes 6 and 7 is a canopy or shed 23 to the under side of which are attached lamps 24 in proper position to illuminate the sign letters.

In order to form a still sign, I provide a pair of swinging boards 25 which are respectively hinged as at 26 to the upper opposite corners of the casings 8, in such position that these boards may be swung up on top of the casing, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, or may be swung down in front of the casing, at opposite sides, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Any desired sign or advertising matter may be painted or otherwise placed on the side of these boards which is exposed when they are Y swung down, and in this position the boards cover the movable sign and close the openings 11 above referred to. This convertible feature of the sign is of advantage in cases where it is not desired to operate the mov able sign all the time.

IVhen the drum 12 is driven by the motor, the belt is caused to travel around the drums, and the words of the sign come successively into view through the openings 11 at the opposite sides.

The invention may be embodied in forms differing in certain respects from the particular form illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A sign comprising two end boxes, a pair of channeled casings extending between said boxes and having flanges at their top and bottom edges, drums in the boxes, an endless belt extending around the drums and along in the casings, said belt being exposed between the anges, at opposite sides of the sign, and means in one of the boxes to drive one of the drums.

2. The combination of a sign casing having an opening, a traveling sign web behind said opening, and a sign board hinged to said casing above said opening and adapted to swing down in front thereof, or to be swung up to expose the traveling web.

3. The combination of a casing having openings at opposite sides thereof, an endlessbelt mounted for movement along said casing and behind said openings, and a pair of sign boards hinged to the upper corners of the casing and adapted to be swung down in front of said openings or tol be swung up upon the top of the casing.

4. The combination -of an endless belt Comprising a back` piece'and a front piece, the front piece being fastened at intervals to the backpieoe to form a series of pockets Y between said pieces, and linterchangeable letters having hooks at the back engageable in said pockets to attach the letters to the belt. v

5. The combination with drums, of a belt extending around the same and oomprisinf 30 yEDWIN @LA ROCHE.

Wtness GEO. E. TEW; 

